For all NYers - there's a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping in Manhattan! Make sure to go check out the Real Simple Pop-Up Shop at Rockefeller Center next week. Gift ideas, food tastings, shopping, makeovers, and Santa!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010

My good friend, Tammy, started an online bridesmaid retailer called Joielle this past year, and you should all go check out her fun collection of frocks by Alfred Sung, After Six, Cynthia Rowley, Dessy, Landa, and Lela Rose. It's an easy-to-use website that comes with sizing/measurement tips, individual swatch orders, and a 10% discount for bridal parties of 4 or more. Personally, I think this is one of the most efficient tools for a cross-national bridal party. Just go online to find the dresses you like - have your bridesmaid votes and then each girl can individually measure and order on her own. I wore this one in purple this summer, and I got so many compliments!

Joielle is running an online giveaway this week! Tammy just hit up Bridal Market in NY and racked up some free goodies that she wants to give to Joielle fans. To win a free Dessy Pantone umbrella or an annual subscription to Martha Stewart Weddings, all you have to do is answer the following question:

Friday, October 1, 2010

Having difficulty finding a gift for your groom or groomsmen? Consider the gift of grooming! Today, we have an exciting guest feature from Melissa Colabella, professional groomer and hair stylist at the popular Truman's Gentleman's Groomers here in NYC. Read on for more!

In the Middle Ages, groomsmen stood by the groom to help him snatch back his bride in the event that her family or a jealous knight would rescue her before becoming the groom’s property. Today, groomsmen’s responsibilities are limited, now reduced to just a few responsibilities with a primary focus on planning a wicked bachelor party, and weddings are centered more around the bride than the bride-hunter.

Thankfully, modern day weddings are not violent and archaic, but in some respects we hold onto those old wedding traditions. Most likely, a groom has selected his groomsmen because these special friends and family members have stood by his side up to this point in his life. It’s important for the groom to recognize this brotherhood by showing his gratitude.

A groom’s gift of grooming is a rather selfish, but greatly appreciated and appropriate gesture. This ensures that your groomsmen don’t show up to your wedding looking the same way they did the morning after your bachelor party, presumably keeping the bride happy as well. There are several men’s grooming salons across New York City that offer a variety of services. I specifically work at Truman’s Gentleman’s Groomers, where we offer haircuts and styling, hair coloring, hot lather shaves, beard trims, manicures, pedicures, massages, hair removal, and shoe shines. Regardless of where you go, pre-planning a day of grooming ensures that the party complies to the following grooming rules:

1. Schedule haircuts one to two weeks before the wedding day. This allows a bit of insurance in the event that the hair was cut too short or cut unevenly. Also, it may take a guy a few tries to style his own hair properly or train his cow-lick to stand in the right direction.

2. Have a stylist recommend the appropriate product for each individual. Unbeknownst to most men, “gel” is not the universal styling product. Neither is “paste” or “pomade”. Every product by every manufacture is unique and each style and hair texture require something different. Have the stylist give you a lesson on how to apply it as well.

3. Recommend classic styles performed by a seasoned stylist. While inappropriate to request that your best man cut off his mullet, realize that trendy or outlandish haircuts will make those photos look dated in the years to come. Your recommendation won’t be fitting to someone who wears their hair as a form of self-expression, but it can work wonders for the guy who has been getting his hair cut the same banal way for years simply because he didn’t know what else to do with it.

4. Take care of facial and neck hair the day of the wedding. Since your haircuts were performed a week or so ago, you will need to clean up your neck-line and sideburns. Doing this the day of the wedding prevents any unsightly ingrown hairs from appearing in photos, or uneven sideburns accidentally designed by a groggy, hungover groomsman. This is the best time to get a clean, straight-razor shave and line-up or trim any beards.

5. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for ear and nose hair trimming as well.

6. Groom nails the day of. While unkempt nails will not haunt you like that mullet twenty years from now, realize that there will be a lot of hand shaking. Also, nail grooming may not be part of you or your groomsmen’s normal grooming ritual and it will be nice to have a professional properly cut cuticles to prevent painful cracking which is not only unsightly but also makes one prone to infection.

7. Make sure to have your tuxedo’s pressed and void of Fido’s stray hairs. Fancy yourselves up with your own stylish accessories and don’t forget to bring the ring! If there’s ever a day to look your best, this is it. Your groomsmen will appreciate the pampering and it will pleasantly satisfy your bride.

Thanks Melissa for the awesome advice! For those interested in buying the gift of grooming at Truman's Gentleman's Groomers, check out the website!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

For one day only, Lucky Magazine is bringing back its Lucky Shops Event this Thursday on Bleecker Street from 6-9pm. Many of the shops have free food, wine, cheese and freebies, so click here to check out what's going on!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

If you're getting married in the Vancouver area - you gotta go check out the cakes from Coco Cake! All of her cakes are amazingly cute and whimsical, and they're perfect for those couples that want something a little different and completely unique.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

There's something so simple and so charming about a French countryside look - wooden tables, potted herbs, and white/blue handmade stationery. Chelsea Fuss from ProjectWedding has put together a lovely and economical table setting with place cards, table numbers, and an adorable menu. They look so easy and absolutely lovely!

Monday, August 23, 2010

I love chalkboards! I think y'all have seen my blog entries about them. I never thought to frame them but wow, these can look amazing - especially for vintage photobooths where your guests can write personal messages for photos.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

First off - an apology! I am so sorry for being MIA from the blogosphere. It's because I've been going to...weddings and wedding-related fun-ness! One of my very good friends from college got engaged the day after my wedding...and 1 year later, she's become a Mrs. herself! I loved all her well-planned DIY details, so I'll ask her if I can share it with y'all at some point =)

Friday, July 2, 2010

I'm always looking for quick'n'easy + affordable favors for weddings guests...and if you're having a beach wedding...you better get over to an Old Navy tomorrow! On Saturday, July 3rd, all solid colored flip flops are $1 per pair at any Old Navy store! Go get 'em and stock up for your guests =)

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Caroline Tran's pictures always have this soft, romantic feel to them...and she's done it again this time with a cupcake-loving couple. People say taking pictures of food is actually the toughest type of photography (feel free to correct me if this is untrue!), but Caroline has done an amazing job. I am particularly in love with the cookie monster cupcake =p

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

There is this new show on Food Network called Cupcake Wars, and it takes 4 cupcake bakers every week + 3 cupcake taste & presentation challenges. Every week I see people come up completely new recipes (sea salt + seaweed infused cupcakes??) and then build huge, crazy displays to present a thousand cupcakes...all in 2 hours.

It really makes me ask myself...if I had wanted to DIY my own cupcake display for my wedding...could I have done it? Given that I would've stuck to normal vanilla cupcakes w/ vanilla frosting and had an entire team of my girlfriends helping me...could I have pulled off a display of 200 cupcakes for my guests?

Obviously I didn't get the chance to try (it was too risky at the time!) but sometimes I still think about it....and dream about what I might've/could've done...do any of you ever think this way? Or did any of you actually try to DIY your own cake? Or are you planning on it? Comment away!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy Monday all! To open up this week, I am honored to feature Dreamlite Studios, who took these beautiful pictures of my very own maid of honor and her guy. They're getting married Labor Day weekend, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out!